The President of the Republic of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, visited ICTP on 27 March 2008. On this occasion, he renamed the Main Building of ICTP as the Leonardo da Vinci Building and unveiled the plaque. The Director of the Centre, Professor K.R. Sreenivasan, presented to the President an account of the work and impact of the Centre and of the Trieste institutions, and briefly outlined a vision for the future. He was followed by the well-known local writer and emeritus Professor of the University of Trieste, Professor Claudio Magris, who spoke about the importance of the borders between cultures and geographic regions. Professor Sreenivasan presented the President with a plaque commemorating his visit to ICTP. Most of the local authorities and the heads of other scientific institutions were also in attendance.